MOVIES - June 19, 1995

Dredding an R: Sylvester Stallone’s latest action fest, “Judge Dredd,” is in the midst of quibbling with the MPAA over its R rating. Disney, distributors of the comic book-based film opening June 30, wants a PG-13. “They made about 20 suggestions and we did all that and it’s still an R, and then they gave 10 more suggestions, and we did all that, and it’s still an R,” said Stallone over the weekend. “I don’t know how it works. You never know what’s going to offend them.” Stallone asserted that his status as an action star has worked against the film’s ratings battle: “Very much so, 100%. ‘Congo’ has things getting torn apart . . . and it’s PG-13, and there’s no blood in this, nothing.”

TELEVISION

Bravos for Brandy: A comedy about a hip African American teen-ager that was not picked up for the fall season received a rousing response from attendees at the Black Filmmakers Foundation annual screening of television pilots held Saturday in Beverly Hills. More than 200 attendees laughed and cheered during “Moesha,” which stars hip-hop singer Brandy. The series’ co-creators, Sara Finney and Vida Spears, said that CBS executives had seemed to like the show but failed to pick it up. The two said they hoped that new CBS president Leslie Moonves might give the series a second chance. The audience also gave its approval for “Divas,” about a struggling female singing group, which is scheduled to be a mid-season replacement for Fox, and “Trial by Jury,” a reality show about jury deliberations, which is being considered by the United Paramount Network. The organization, composed of professionals and students, last year gave a standing ovation to “Under One Roof,” a family drama on CBS that received raves from critics but was canceled after its initial mid-season run.

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Oprah the Producer: Oprah Winfrey has signed a deal with ABC to produce six TV movies. TV Guide reports that the movies will be under the umbrella title “Oprah Winfrey Presents,” and the first one, a story about interracial marriage in the 1920s based on Shirley Ann Grau’s “The Keepers of the House,” is due to air in 1996. “The Wedding,” a film about a black woman torn between black and white suitors, is also in the works. Winfrey has plans to produce feature films as well. She has cast herself in the role of the runaway slave in the movie version of Toni Morrison’s novel “Beloved.” A spokeswoman for Winfrey’s Harpo Films said the company’s projects will be free of gratuitous sex and violence, and will feature good roles for African American women.

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I Want My MJTV: For those who still want more Michael Jackson despite the recent media blitz, MTV is offering Michael-mania when it takes on the name MJTV (guess what that stands for) for a week beginning today. Concerts and videos featuring Jackson will air on the network at 7:30 p.m. each night. The Michael-fest includes the television premiere of “Captain EO,” the short film starring Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola that was created for a Disneyland attraction. The week also features a “planetary” event that will take place when MTV viewers around the world view Jackson’s new video, “Scream,” simultaneously on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Jackson 5 cartoons will also air.

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Holy Fireworks!: Batmania, now sweeping through movie theaters, is coming to TV. Fox’s cable outlet, fX, will air a 15-hour “Batman” marathon, featuring episodes from the classic TV series, on July 4 starting at 9 a.m. “Four on the Fourth” will salute the villains seen in the Batman movies--the Riddler, Cat Woman, the Joker and the Penguin--with TV show episodes focusing on each.

POP/ROCK

Royal Richard: British pop star Cliff Richard, who is known as the English Elvis, said Saturday he was flabbergasted and proud at becoming Britain’s first knight of rock and roll. Richard, who will now be called Sir Cliff, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his charity work. He topped the list of honors to people in the arts, sports, business and political worlds awarded annually by the queen on her birthday. The 54-year-old singer has made more than 120 hit records since starting his career in the early 1960s.

PEOPLE WATCH

On Deadly Ground?: Steven Seagal spoke out Saturday against plans to build a nuclear storage dump on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. Seagal was cheered on by a crowd in Ruidoso, N.M., as he talked about the health problems that might arise from the dump. Officials have promised to make the repository safe and said it will provide jobs and economic development. The Mescaleros had overwhelmingly defeated the project in a vote, but a second vote was held and it passed.